Hungarian Studios Weather the Storm of Hollywood Strikes

A strike by the Hollywood Screenwriters and Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) could have a major impact on the global film industry, but Hungarian studios producing foreign productions are "weathering the storm of Hollywood strikes", according to Variety.com.

Variety reported in its article on the 80th Venice International Film Festival, which began last week, that the strike had prevented several stars from travelling to the prestigious must-see, but that in the case of independent films, SAG-AFTRA could exempt its members from the ban on promoting productions, including the Budapest-based Victorian drama ‘Poor Things’ by Yorgos Lantimos (The Favourite), which debuted at the Lido on Friday.

According to industry experts, the ongoing Hollywood strikes are not yet having a serious impact on the booming Budapest production hub.

"We're affected, but we can keep working," said Adam Goodman, founding co-owner of Mid Atlantic Films, whose production company is currently working on Lionsgate's ‘The Killer's Game’. The action-comedy, starring Dave Bautista and Ben Kingsley, is one of a series of independent productions – including US broadcaster A24's Death of a Unicorn and Dusty Bunny with Mads Mikkelsen and Sigourney Weaver – that have been granted exemptions from SAG-AFTRA.

Work on British TV series such as The Day of the Jackal starring Eddie Redmayne also continues in Budapest, as their casts are mainly members of the British Equity actors' union.

Ildikó Kemény, Managing Director of Pioneer Stillking Films, said that in the case of TV series that include members of the US actors' union (SAG), scenes with them are being postponed until the strike is over.

According to Mihály Tóth, head of Origo Studios, which is producing the TV series ‘Dune: The Sisterhood’, each production that is pulled out of Budapest because of the strike is being replaced by another. "The whole industry is changing, everyone is looking for solutions," he told the newspaper.

More than 300 productions were made in Hungary last year, a record USD 690 million (HUF 247 billion) for the country, Variety wrote, adding that this is a 20% increase from 2021 and that industry professionals expect significant growth again following the strike, as well as after the coronavirus outbreak.